The IPL Expendables XI

The Expendables – a lovely movie comprising of a starcast of veteran action stars. They may have grown old but the spirits are still young. And these veterans still pack enough punch to create a movie good enough to go on to become a series in its own right.

I was watching Expendables (again) the other day and found it similar to the Indian Premier League in some respects. The IPL can be considered to be a haven for recently and should-be retired stars who are past their prime but still playing on - some successfully, some not-so-successfully.

So I thought of making an Expendables XI for this year’s IPL. And I have followed the IPL policy of limiting the number of foreign players to four.

Sachin Tendulkar – How old is he? He has been going on and on since 1989, a time when half of the players in the IPL were not even born. And one of them (Sachin Baby) is named after him.

Ricky Ponting – Recently retired from all international cricket. And then goes on to be the top scorer of the Australian domestic first class season. Though finding it difficult to sustain in the slam bang IPL mode.

Rahul Dravid (C) – Captain of the expendables. Captains Rajasthan Royals, a side which has a battalion of veterans (Hogg, Hodge, Tambe) and a squadron of babies (Sachin Baby, Sanju Samson)

S Badrinath – Not retired yet but chances of playing further international cricket are now very limited. Will take over from the likes of Jaffer and Mazumdar as the next Ranji legend.

Saurav Ganguly – All right, he is not in any of the squads as of now, but like Chuck Norris in Expendables 2 he might return out of nowhere and lead one of the sides. With Dada you never know.

Adam Gilchrist (wk) – The wicket-keeping slot simply can not go to anyone else.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla – He made his debut for India in 1999 and hasn’t played since. And neither has he been close to national selection since. But Shukla continues to toil on in Ranji trophy and IPL.

Ajit Agarkar – Sir Aggie hasn’t played for India for more than 5 years. One of the enigmas of cricket. His Test career highlights are (a) scored a century at Lords and (b) a six-wicket haul which lead to India winning in Adelaide. And he has been one of the best one-day bowlers for India of all time yet one of the most unsung in that regard. Still toiling on in domestic cricket.

Brad Hogg – He retired from all forms of cricket. Then Big Bash happened and at the age of 42, Hogg was making his T20 international debut for Australia.

Muttiah Muralitharan – Another legend who is still clinging on. His Test records are unlikely to be broken.

Pravin Tambe – The most off-field inclusion in the Expendables XI. At the age of 42, Tambe gets selected for the first time to the Mumbai team. And then gets picked up by the Rajasthan Royals. Yet to make an appearance though.

This was my Expendables XI for IPL. One thing I can safely bet, they won’t be pushovers in the competition.